Rowan:

I woke up to sun streaming through the den. I yawned and ducked outside. Blinking in the sunlight, I glanced around for Freddy, but didn't see any sign of him.

Shrugging, I crossed the clearing to the stream. I slipped out of my shirt and fully wolfed out. I leapt over the brook and took off.

Weaving in between the trees, the resplendent sunlight dappled the leaf-strewn ground. The rich scents of Autumn were thick in the air. The leaves had lost their green and the canopies were aflame with reds and oranges.

I slowed to a trot as I neared my old territory. I remembered the cliff that I used to sit on at night and wondered if I'd ever get to see Gravity Falls from there again.

I was snapped from my thoughts by a snarl nearby and I crept forward. I peered out from between the brambles to see my former friends cowering in the shadow of Midnight, the Alpha of their pack.

"So you do admit that you were associated with the outcast?" she snarled at them.

I raised my eyebrows; It had been nearly a whole season since my exile.

"Sure we used to be friends, but we haven't seen her sin—"

"Shut up!" Midnight snapped, baring her fangs. "You are hereby exiled for treachery against the Pack of the Half-Moon."

Fang and Star opened their mouths to protest, but the Alpha continued.

"You will leave our territory and never return. If any of my pack sees you, they will have my permission to kill you." She snarled at them and they scrambled away.

They ran past my hiding place and I sank farther back into the prickles. I held my breath when Midnight paused next to my bush.

The Alpha snorted and whipped around before stalking off. I let out a sigh of relief and backed out of the brambles. I swore under my breath as one of the brambles struck my nose.

I crossed the stream that served at the border and sat down on the rocks. Most of the brambles fell off me as I felt my fur melt away, but some still remained tangled in my hair. I carefully pulled them out, one by one.

After all the brambles were out, I sniffed the air, hoping to find out where the twins had gone. Once I had located their scent trail, I followed it closer to my camp. They had crossed the stream that went past the clearing and I growled, angry that I could have lost them so easily.

I sighed and picked up my shirt. I put it back on and started the short walk back to camp. Suddenly, I heard a bleat of terror. I recognized the sound, as it was the same sound that Freddy made when startled.

I raced towards the noise and found Star and Fang cornering a young cervitaur. She was backed into a tightly woven thicket and stared at the two in terror.

I darted forward with a shout and leapt in between the twins and the cervitaur.

"Leave her alone!" I snarled.

Their eyes sparked in recognition, but quickly regained their hostile glint.

"Oh yeah?" Fang taunted "And why should we listen to you?"

"My territory, my rules." I said, simply.

The two faltered.

"You have a pack?" Star asked.

I had to think for a second. It wasn't a real pack, in the sense that it had ranks, but I guess that I thought of Freddy, Snow, and Keesh as my pack all the same.

"Yes, I have a pack," I said.

The twins glanced at each other.

"Could we join?" Star asked, not surprising me, as most werewolves thought not having a pack was worse than death.

"I, um… I guess so," I said "But you have to do whatever I say."

They nodded and I gave a small smile. I turned to the cervitaur and helped her up. She didn't object as I led her in the direction of the clearing with the twins close behind.